[Bug]: "Category is (nothing)" rule is not respected

[SirJohnDoe]

Verified issue does not already exist?

• [X] I have searched and found no existing issue

Is this related to GoCardless, Simplefin or another bank-sync provider?

• [X] I have checked my server logs and could not see any errors there
• [X] I will be attaching my server logs to this issue
• [X] I will be attaching my client-side (browser) logs to this issue
• [X] I understand that this issue will be automatically closed if insufficient information is provided

What happened?

Rules don't seem to be applied when I sync accounts through GoCardless. Below are the details of my latest transaction where it doesn't work, but it happens with all transactions I sync. First I thought it had to do with the stage of the rules, but for both 'Pre' en 'Default' it happens. The rule does detect the transaction though, see the screenshot below.

Rule:

The transaction in question in my browser log:

{
    "status": "ok",
    "data": {
        "iban": "WaPbJKjfoQRhEEhzxBQgnedbSUnIl53xYiTS9VU1dSc=",
        "balances": [
            {
                "balanceAmount": {
                    "amount": "53.29",
                    "currency": "EUR"
                },
                "balanceType": "closingBooked"
            }
        ],
        "institutionId": "OPENBANK_OPENESMM",
        "startingBalance": 0,
        "transactions": {
            "booked": [
                {
                    "bookingDate": "2024-04-02",
                    "valueDate": "2024-04-02",
                    "transactionAmount": {
                        "amount": "x",
                        "currency": "EUR"
                    },
                    "remittanceInformationUnstructured": "x",
                    "internalTransactionId": "eb9f10251615c90ec7945d75a934dbdc",
                    "date": "2024-04-02"
                },

Server log:

Available (first 10) transactions properties for new integration of institution in calculateStartingBalance function {
  balances: '[{"balanceAmount":{"amount":"53.29","currency":"EUR"},"balanceType":"closingBooked"}]',
  top10SortedTransactions: '[{"bookingDate":"2024-04-02","valueDate":"2024-04-02","transactionAmount":{"amount":"x","currency":"EUR"},"remittanceInformationUnstructured":"x","internalTransactionId":"eb9f10251615c90ec7945d75a934dbdc","date":"2024-04-02"},

Versions

Actual v24.4.0 running as addon on HassOS

What error did you receive?

No response

Where are you hosting Actual?

Other

What browsers are you seeing the problem on?

Chrome

Operating System

Windows 11

[MatissJanis]

👋 You might have another rule that clashes and gets applied before this one.

Try removing the "category is empty" condition and leaving only the imported payee.

[SirJohnDoe]

👋 You might have another rule that clashes and gets applied before this one.

Try removing the "category is empty" condition and leaving only the imported payee.

The rule for the transaction above is the second in the list, so I don't think that's the issue:

Why wouldn't Category is Empty work? I will try without it, but the reason I added it was because I only want it to apply to new transactions.

Edit: it seems to work without 'Category is nothing'

[MatissJanis]

I can confirm: the issue is with "category is empty". We are currently not parsing these rules correctly.

The temporary workaround is to NOT use "is empty" expressions.

[matt-fidd]

Speculation as I've not looked into it, I wonder if it's a similar situation to #2790

Commenting so I can find this again, will have a look after work